‘We Don’t Carry Firearms’

May 23, 2014by Len Lathrop

Editor’s note: Colin Coleman, owner of Ice Arms AR-15, met with me on Tuesday, May 19 to respond to comments made at a Hudson Selectmen’s meeting on May 19 that his business is a gun shop. He explains that it is not and that no guns will be for sale and no gun testing will occur on site. See the article below for further explanation.

While Hezer’s Bike shop no longer occupies the building at the intersection of Central Street and Lowell Road, the new business opening there will not be a gun shop. Follow comments made by a citizen Tuesday night at the Hudson selectmen’s meeting and various website posts the Hudson~Litchfield News was invited to visit.

Colin Coleman, the owner met with me for over an hour Tuesday, May 19, while the facility is not ready to open for another few weeks, what it will be is a hybrid firearm repair shop that specializes in AR-15 rifles. Now that I am over my head relative to his product, in layman terms, I know there are no guns for sales; there is no ammunition for sale in the building. One of the questions I asked was if everything in the building was stolen, could someone make a gun from the parts, the answer was no, what could you do with hundreds of barrels for an AR-15 and various other parts.

Most of the sales come from hobbyists and hunters across the country that need a replace part or a different barrel for their advanced sporting rifle. Ice Arms AR-15 plans to ship more than 500 packages with parts each month and expects maybe 10 or so walk-in customers per week. It is in basic layman terms a shipping hub for replacement parts.

In keeping with not being a gun shop, no testing will be done on site, and, if they do a repair that has to be tested, Ice Arms has an agreement with the Pelham Fish and Game Club to use their range. Coleman explained that his customers have spent from $1,000 up to $25,000 on their firearms and are true sports enthusiasts and hobbyists.

Coleman, an Army veteran specially trained on these firearms, grew up in Merrimack. When asked why he collected site, the reasons were many. He and his wife, Ashley, live within walking distance to the shop; Ice needed more space but not a significant amount; and the nostalgic factor contributed, as it was the first location in 1964 of Continental Beauty Salon, which was founded by Ashley’s grandmother, Ronda Charbonneau.

Once totally set up and open, Coleman invites anyone with questions to stop in and ask him.